Where to Turn
by Werewolf10
Summary: Sequal to What Might Have Been. When Troy's father finds out he's going out with Gabriella...let's just say he's not to happy. COMPLETE. Second in trilogy. Sequel now up!
1. What Went Wrong?

**You asked, and now you shall receive! **

**Chapter 1. What Went Wrong?**

When Troy got home that evening it was already pitch black outside. As he walked in the door he tried to be as quiet as possible.

"Where have you been young man." a stern voice behind him asked.

"Hey, Dad! I was just out." Troy said as cooly as he could.

"Who were you with." his dad asked getting madder by the second.

"I was out with Gabriella. I just lost track of the time. I'm sorry." Troy said trying to make his way up the stairs.

"You were out with that, that tramp!" Coach Bolton yelled.

"What the heck did you just call her?" Troy yelled back stomping down the stairs.

"Don't talk back to me! I'm your father!" Coach Bolton said pointing his finger at his son.

"If you were my father then you would be supportive if my decisions." Troy said still fuming at what his dad had said bout Gabriella.

"You will listen to me no matter what!" Coach Bolton said before slapping Troy across the face, causing him to fall down the stairs that were left.

After Coach Bolton had left and went to bed, Troy pulled himself up and slowly made his way up to his room.

When he finally got up there, he took off his shirt to reveal the starts of a few bruises. When he crawled into bed he gritted his teeth as pain from the bruises shot through his body. As he lay there in pain, he closed his eyes and thought about the one good thing about today, Gabriella. He thought about how they had their first kiss and how she had become his girlfriend. Finally, he fell into a deep sleep, dreaming about Gabriella.

**I know, it's a kinda short start. But it'll get longer.**


	2. Aftershock

**Chapter 2. Aftershock **

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The next morning Troy woke to the birds singing outside his window. The only problem was that their signing did not match his mood. As soon as he had opened his eyes, the terrible memories had came flooding into his mind. Still laying in bed, Troy could hardly believe what had happened the previous night. He had never thought of his dad as the kind to abuse him. But then again, his daddid kinda have a short temper.

When Troy attempted to sit up, pain immediately shot through his sides. Pulling back the covers revealed a couple of large bruises. Slowly, Troy got up and started to change. After a few grueling minuets of trying to get comfortable clothes on that wouldn't iritate his bruises,Troy finally made it down stairs. Lucky his dad had already gone to the school and his mom had left for work also. Grabbing an apple to eat on the go, Troy walked out the door.

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"Hey, man! Where ya been?" Chad asked Troy when he finally arrived at school.

"I got up a little late." Troy said as an excuse for the extra time he had to spend getting dressed.

"Hi, Troy!" Gabriella said running towards Troy and giving him a soft kiss. "How'd things go with your dad last night?"

"Fine. Fine. He was a little ticked off, but nothing to serious." Troy lied trying not to scare Gabriella.

"Good. The last thing we need is your dad even more mad than he is." Gabriella said as the walked down the hall.

"Yeah, wouldn't want that." Troy sighed.

"What's the matter? You don't look so good." Chad said noticing how pale Troy's face was.

"Yeah. You look sick." Gabriella said feeling Troy's face.

"I'm fine! I just had a little trouble sleeping last night." Troy said taking a couple of steps back.

"What ever you say, man." Chad said before running off.

"Troy, are you sure you don't need to see the nurse?" Gabriella said unconvinced as they continued to walk down the hallway.

"Great! Never felt better!" Troy said as convincingly as he could.

"Alright. See ya later!" Gabriella said before giving Troy a quick kiss on the lips.

As she ran off, for one brief and shining moment, Troy's pain seemed a thing of the past.

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"Ah, Mr. Bolton! Thank you for making your presence known to us! Ten minuets late. You may honor us more with it in detention this afternoon." Mrs. Darbus announced as Troy slowly walked into the classroom.

"Wopie." Troy said under his breath.

"Pst. Where were you? You can't get detention now! The tournament is a week away!" Chad whispered when Mrs. Darbus wasn't looking.

"I was looking for a book." Troy whispered back. In reality,had beenin the restroom splashing cold water on his throbbing bruises. He was going to have a lot of explaining to do after school.

**There it is, chapter two! I know, it's still a little short. In the near future, they'll get longer. This being because I'm moving in a few weeks and I want to get this done before then. Ideas are always welcome. Infact, some of my best ideas sprout from feedback!**


	3. Could This Day Get Any Worse?

**Thanks for all your ideas! Some of them I had already been considering, so now I KNOW to use them! If anybody has anymore, their more than welcome!**

**Chapter 3. Can This Day Get Any Worse?**

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Troy had barely made it through school that day. Almost all of his teachers had asked him if he was feeling alright. He just shrugged them off saying he was just tired. By the time he had to go to detention, his sides were throbbing.

"Ah, Mr. Bolton! Glad to see you. There's some curtain ropes that need replacing so you can start by taking the old ones down." Mrs. Darbus announced as Troy slowly walked into the auditorium.

'Great. Just what I need right now.' Troy thought as he dragged out the ladder and slowly made his way up it. He had decided earlier that morning that it was best not to tell anyone about what his dad had done the previous night. If he did, then his dad would be even madder. Plus, who would believe that the best coach the school had ever had would hit his own son? Besides, it might not happen again.

As Troy reached up to remove the ropes pain shot through his sides. Causing him to grimace. Luckily no one was looking. When he reached up again he tried as hard as he could not to yell out in pain. He just undid the ropes as quickly as he could and moved on to the next job Mrs. Darbus had for him.

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When Troy was done in detention he slowly made his way to the boy's locker room.

"Dude, I would not want to be in your shoes right now." Chad said when Troy stumbled into the locker room and plopped down on a bench.

"Why?" Troy asked groggily.

"Coach was furious when he heard you got detention! He said to tell you to come strait home." Chad said sitting down beside him.

"Great." Troy said putting his head in his hands.

"Hey, dude. Get some sleep tonight! You don't look so good." Chad said as Troy got up to leave.

As Troy walked home he tried to go as slow as he could. He did NOT want to get home in a hurry.

"Troy, wait up!" Gabriella yelled running after Troy.

"I thought maybe we could walk home together since you weren't feeling good." Gabriella said once she reached Troy's side.

"Thanks. Just remember to lay low when we get to my house. My dad's still a little P.O.'d from last night."

"And I'm sure it doesn't help that you got detention." Gabriella sighed.

"Yeah." Troy said softly.

"Anyway's thanks for walking with me!" Troy said trying to lighten the mood. He knew that the last thing he wanted was for Gabriella to worry about him.

"No problem. So, why are you REALLY so droopy today?" Gabriella asked still walking.

"What do you mean?" Troy asked, trying to hide the surprised look on his face.

"I mean that you are one lousy liar. I know it's not just from sleep loss." Gabriella said looking at Troy knowingly.

"I have no idea...still lying, right?" Troy asked when Gabriella continued to stare.

"Yup. Now spill."

"Look I went home last night, dad was mad, I made him even madder, he slapped me, I went to bed." Troy said as calmly as he could. He cut out the falling down the stairs part because as mentioned before, he didn't want Gabriella losing sleep over him. She was just to pretty for that.

"He slapped you?" Gabriella half-yelled.

"Only once. Besides, I was the one who pushed him to." Troy said trying not to make a big deal out of it.

'But still..."

"Gabriella, promise me you won't tell ANYONE! If my dad finds out he'll just get even madder at me." Troy said just as they came up to his house.

"Well, ok. As long as you promise to tell me if it gets any worse." Gabriellaasked. When Troy reluctatly nodded his head Gabriella gave him a quick kiss and the ranoff in the direction of her house.

Troy dreaded the long walk up the walkway. Today it seemed like it was miles long. Every step felt like it was his last. He had never been afraid of his father's temper tantrums before. But today, he was terrified of them.

Troy opened the door slowly, hoping to not give away the fact that he was home.

"Troy Zacery Bolton! We need to talk." a very angry voice behind him said.

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**Lets see, should I leave you to wonder or not? Continue, or not?** **Continue, or not? Am I torturing you? **

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**---------------------------------------- Ok, enough of the torture. Here it is. :)**

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"Second day of detention in a row." Jack said through gritted teethonce he and his son were in his office. "What is causing you to...wait. I know. It's that Gabriella girl isn't it?"

"She has nothing to do with it! I was late for class today! Why do you take your anger out on her, even when it's not her fault?" Troy yelled.

"You listen to me!" Jack yelled slamming his fist down on his desk. "If I ever see you with that bitch again, you'll wish you hadn't!"

"That's it! Stop calling her things no girl deserves to be called! And if YOU don't stop, I'll, I'll quit basketball!" Troy said mustering up all his courage to defend her like that.

"You'll what?" Jack asked in disbelief.

"You heard me. I'll quit. It used to be fun when it was just a hobby, now that you've made it my whole life, well let's just say I'd rather be singing!" Troy yelled proudly.

"You will play until I say you can stop! Even if it kills you!" Jack screamed before rushing over to Troy and again, backhanding him. Only this time, Troy went flying into a bookshelf.

"Maybe that'll teach you something."Jack said before stomping out.

Instead of getting up right away, Troy just laid there until he heard his dad go to bed. He wished his mom hadn't decided to go visit her sister that afternoon. Now he was stuck for the week with a dad from hell.

When he was sure his dad had gone to sleep, he slowly dragged his aching body from the pile pf heavy books that had come crashing down on him. After what seemed like forever, he had finally made it to his bathroom. When he pulled off his shirt, he found new bruises forming on top of the old ones. There was also a small gash in his back from one of the heavier books. He lightly dabbed away the blood that was around it. After he was sure the bleeding had stopped, he put some gauze around it and went to bed.


	4. The Truth Comes Out

**Thanks again for all of your ideas! They really help with knowing what to write.**

**Chapter 4. The Truth Comes Out**

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As Troy walked into school the next morning, he tried as hard as he could not to limp. This was hard though, cause every time he took a step it felt like someone had hit him just below the knee. But as hard as it was, he somehow managed to walk strait enough so that it was hardly noticeable.

"Hi, Troy! How did it go last night?" Gabriella asked running over to Troy after first period.

"Hey. It went ok. He was pretty mad, but nothing major." Troy lied.

"Are you sure?" Gabriella asked seriously.

"I'm sure." Troy said as convincingly as he could.

"Ok, see ya later!" Gabriella said before giving Troy a kiss, which he gratefully accepted. No matter how much his dad threatened him, nothing could keep him away from Gabriella.

When they broke apart Gabriella wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a hug. Troy was glad that she wasn't looking at his face, because if anyone had been, they would have seen pure pain. Troy hoped she hadn't noticed it when he flinched a little when she hugged him. But it turned out she had. For during free period he found a note in his locker to meet Gabriella on the roof.

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"Ok, now what really happened last night?" Gabriella asked when Troy finally mace it to the top of the stairs.

"I might guess Imightas well tell you everything." Troy sighed. "Last night when I got home dad started chewing me out for missing practice. Then he started jumping to conclusions that it's all your fault. So I stood up to him and told him that if he didn't start dumping on you, then I was going to quit basketball."

"Troy! Why did you do that? I shouldn't be the reason you quit what you love!" Gabriella said surprised that Troy would do that.

"Hey, your worth it." Troy said grinning.

At that Gabriella pulled Troy into a hug, causing him to yelp out in pain. Gabriella quickly pulled away and looked at him worriedly. Troy was still grimacing in pain when Gabriella slowly started pulling up his shirt. When she finally got it off, she was shocked to find his back littered with cuts and bruises.

"After I told dad I would quit, he sent he flying into the bookcase." Troy said clenching his eyes shut as Gabriella softly ran her hand over Troy's back.

"Troy, we've got to tell someone." Gabriella whispered taking Troy's hand. "At least tell Chad. He might know what to do."

"Alright." Troy said reluctantly.

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"Hey, guys! What's up?" Chad said as Troy and Gabriella walked into the locker room.

"We have something important to tell you." Gabriella said helping a still aching Troy sit down on one of the benches.

"Sure! I'm always here for ya, man!"Chad said slapping Troy's back.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH! Can I be put through anymore pain today?" Troy screamed.

"Dude, what is it?" Chad asked surprised.

"That's what we want to tell you." Gabriella said before slowly taking off Troy's shirt again. Chad was just as surprised as Gabriella was.

"Troy's dad has been taking his anger out on him." Gabriella said as Chad continued to stare at Troy's back.

"Coach? Wait, I knew he had a temper, but wow!" Chad said. "So what do you want me to do?" Chad asked as Troy slowly started putting his shirt back on.

"We were hoping you would know something." Gabriella said.

"You want me to ask Coach myself? I mean, he might stop if he knows that someone else knows." Chad suggested.

"At this point, I'm willing to try anything." Troy sighed.

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"Hey, Coach? There's something I wanted to ask you." Chad said as he walked into Coach Bolton's school office.

"Sure, Chad! Anything." Jack said as he continued putting papers in his desk.

"Well, Troy...just... told...me ...that...you'vebeenabusinghim!" Chad blurted out.

"He said, what?" Jack asked surprised.

"He showed me his back and said you've been taking your anger out on him." Chad said nervously.

"Alright. Thank you, Chad. I'll talk to Troy later on." Jack said trying to keep his cool.

As Chad walked out of Coach Bolton's office, he had a feeling he had done something terrible.

**Du, du, du! The plot thickens**. **Review and I'll update tomorrow morning!**


	5. AN

**just a note I forgot to put up. i'm not sure how many people got this, but look at what i put for Troy's middle name and how i spelt it in the last chapter.**


	6. The Storm

**Sorry to those of you who thought the last chapter I posted was a real chapter. To make up for it, I'm posting an extra long one.**

**Chapter 6. The Storm**

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"So, how'd it go over with my dad?" Troy asked when Chad walked back into the locker room.

"I'm not sure. He seemed calm. But then again ,the look in his eyes looked like he wanted to rip me to shreds. I'm not sure man, but I think I just made it worse" Chad sighed sitting down.

"Troy, what if he really hurts you?" Gabriella said squeezing his hand.

"You wanna sleep over with me tonight? You know, just to be on the safe side." Chad offered.

"If I don't come home tonight it'll make it worse. Besides, how much worse can he get?" Troy chuckled nervously.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

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For the rest of the day Troy tried to avoid his dad as much as possible. It worked for most of the day, infact, Troy just about forgot anything happened at all. But that all changed when it was time for practice.

"Are you sure your going to be able to do practice?" Chad asked as they walked into the gym.

"I'll be fine.Just a little sore, that's all." Troy said as calmly as he could.

He tried to just get practice over with without making eye contact with his dad. That wasn't easy considering the fact that Coach Bolton wouldn't take his eyes off his son throughout the entire practice. He would look at the other players, but only for a few seconds before turning his gaze to Troy.

When practice was over, Troy rushed into the locker room as fast as he could. He wanted to get away from his dad's glare as quickly as he could.

"Dude, if it scares you that much, why don't you just call the police?" Chad said when he finally caught up with Troy.

"No. Like I said, it'll only make it worse. You see what happened when he found out you know! Just think what'll happen if the whole town knows!" Troy said in a nervous tone as he got dressed as quickly as he could with all his wounds.

"Fine! You want me to walk home with you? Just to make sure you get there?" Chad asked as they walked out of the locker room.

"No, Chad. That won't be necessary. I'm gonna walk home with him. Be a good chance to bond more." Jack said before taking Troy firmly by the shoulder and leading him away. That was obviously one of Troy's main bruises because as they were walking out, Troy looked back in pure pain and worry.

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"Why the heck did you tell Chad?" Jack yelled as soon as they got home.

"Well, why do you keep treating me like a animal?" Troy yelled back.

"Because if I don't then you won't focus fully on basketball and you'll never be a champ!"

"Oh, so a stupid game suddenly means more to you than your own son?" Troy asked in disbelief.

"If it means being at the top, then yes! And that means you will do what I say when I say it! Do I make myself clear?"

"I guess not! Because I'm still gonna sing! Wether you like it or not!" Troy said proudly. Soon after he had said these words, he regretted ever saying them at all.

"I have had enough of your arrogance young man!" Jack screamed.

He then pulled back and punched Troy right in the face,knocking him into the wall. As soon as he hit the wall he fell onto the floor. When he lifted his head, he noticed blood coming from his nose and mouth. Then Jack came over and started kicking him in the stomach.

"Maybe now you'll listen to me!" Jack yelled as he continued to kick him.

"D-d-d-dad! P-p-p-please!" Troy studdered with the breath he had left.

His dad then picked him up by the shirt and punched him once more in the face. ThenTroy did one of the smartest things he had done all week, he acted like he passed out. Along with singing, he had also picked up some pretty goon acting skills. They seemed to work, because soon after his dad dropped him and then went into the kitchen. After he was sure his dad was no longer in the room, he opened his eyes, gathered all the strength he had left, and got up and made his way to the front door. Luckly, his dad hadn't heard him go out. As soon as he got outside, he started to run as fast as he could.

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Half way down the block, it started to rain. But Troy didn't mind. As long as he way away from his dad. He just had to get somewhere fast before his dad found out he was gone and went looking for him. Then as if someone was looking out for him, he stopped directly infront of Gabriella's house.

He said a prayer under his breath as he went around to the backyard. When he got back there, he looked up and saw that Gabriella was sitting on her balcony under the ledge.

"Troy?" she asked looking down at the figure that was slowly limping across her backyard.

"Gabriella, I'm coming up." Troy said as loudly as he could.

Then he mustered up all the strength he had left and slowly started to climb the tree.

"Troy, what are you doing...oh my goodness!" Gabriella said once Troy came fully into the light.

"Help." Troy whispered before collapsing in her arms.

"Come on, Troy. Stay awake for a little bit longer. I need you to make it to my bed" Gabriella whispered softly in Troy's ear.

"Ok." he whispered again.

He stood up once more and slowly stumbled over to Gabriella's bed. Once he got there, he slowly laid down and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Just let me get the first aid kit." Gabriella said running into her bathroom and taking out a small box. "Troy, is it alright if I cut your shirt off? I don't want to cause anymore pain."

Troy weakly nodded.

She then took out a pair of scissors and very slowly started to cut away the bloody,muddy shirt. When she took off the shirt she was even more disgusted than last time. Gabriella leaned over and kissed Troy's forehead. He opened his eyes and smiled weakly.

"This might hurt a little, but it'll make it feel a whole lot better." Gabriella warned before spraying the disinfectant on the cuts that littered his back and sides.

When she did this Troy hissed in pain and clutched the bed post. Gabriella quickly wrapped some gauze around the cuts. Careful not to make it to tight for the bruises.

"Thanks." Troy said slowly sitting up and leaning against the back of the bed. "I don't think my dad knows where you live so you should be safe."

"Good. Are you gonna be ok? Do you need anything?" Gabriella asked taking Troy's hand in her own.

"All I need right now is you." Troy said smiling. He then leaned down and kissed Gabriella passionately.

When they broke apart Gabriella leaned up against Troy's chest."

"Does this hurt?" Gabriella asked.

"You couldn't hurt me if you tried." Troy said putting a bandaged arm around Gabriella's shoulders.

"My mom's working late tonight. But I'm sure she won't mind you staying over. Considering your current situation." Gabriella said closing her eyes and smiling.

"Good. I do NOT want to go back out in that rain again!" Troy joked.

Gabriella just smiled and scooted closer to him. Troy in turn put his head on top of hers and slowly ran his fingers through her perfect hair. Soon they both started to fall asleep. As they did Gabriella wondered what she would do without Troy, Troy wondered what he would have done without Gabriella. In the end they both decided it was best just to be grateful for what was.

**There you have it! There'll probably be two more chapters.**


	7. The Calm In the Middle

**I was going to do one more chapter after this, but then all these ideas just rushed into my head! So who knows how long this'll be? **

**Chapter 7. The Calm In the Middle **

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Troy awoke the next morning still laying on Gabriella's bed. As he looked down at his bandaged chest and arms, and then at Gabriella still sleeping on his chest, the memories of last night came flooding back into his throbbing head. _The fight, running for his life, Gabriella tending to his wounds, falling asleep safe bedside her._

His attention was again drawn back to the sleeping Gabriella beside him as she stirred in her sleep. He reached up and started stroking her cheeks. 'Wow, she looks so beautiful!' was his only thought as he continued to stroke her face. She then slowly opened her eyes.

"Good morning, beautiful." Troy said whispered smiling.

"Good morning yourself." Gabriella said reaching her hand up and placing it on Troy's.

"Thanks for everything last night. I don't know what I would have done." Troy said still looking into Gabriella's dark brown eyes.

"Don't mention it. As long as your safe now." Gabriella replied before giving him a soft lingering kiss.. "Let's just be thankful it's a Saturday!" Gabriella said after she saw how long they had slept in.

When then finally started to make their way down stairs, it took a little longer for Troy considering he had to limp the whole way. When they finally got into the kitchen they found a note,

_Gabriella and Troy,_

_Went to work early. Hope everything's alright. Troy, I saw the bandages and hope your ok. If you want to talk, I'll be home latter on this afternoon. Make your self at home and take a shower if you want to. _

_Jackie _

"You know what? That shower sounds pretty good!" Troy said after they finished reading the note.

"You can borrow some of my brother's old clothes. He moved out a couple of years ago." Gabriella said before leading the way to a hallway closet and dragging out a box.

When she had handed him a shirt and pants he looked up the staircase, sighed at the bottom, and started the long journey up again. Gabriella immediately cracked up and almost fell on the floor in tears at how big of a deal he was making out of it.

"What? You think it's funny? If I wasn't so hurt, I'd show you funny!" Troy said jokingly before smiling again and starting back up.

"I'm sorry. I'll have breakfast made by the time your out." Gabriella sais wiping away the tears that were still running down her face.

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"I have never been so thankful for showers until now." Troy said making his way down the stairs again.

"Good to hear. I made pancakes." Gabriella said putting two plates on the table.

"Thanks. I'm starving! I didn't even have dinner last night." Troy said immediately sitting down and taking a big bite.

"Well, I hope you don't mind that that was the first time I've ever made pancakes." Gabriella said sitting down.

Troy stopped in mid chew and just stared in front of him.

"Tricked ya!" Gabriella said after a little while.

"You are so dead!" Troy said before getting up and tickling her.

"Hey! Stop!" Gabriella running into the living room with Troy close behind.

"Make me!" Troy said pinning her down on the couch.

"Fine!" Gabriella said before reaching over to his one spot of weakness that only she knew. The knee.

"No! No, no, no! That's not fair!" Troy said laughing so hard he was crying as Gabriella continued to tickle his knee.

"Say your sorry!" Gabriella said still tickling him.

"Alright! Alright! I'm sorry!" Troy shouted before Gabriella stopped.

"Ow! I think I just irritated a bruise!" Troy said laying back down and holding his shoulder.

"Sorry, Troy. Want me to kiss it and make it all better?" Gabriella said in a kid-like voice.

"Please?" Troy said like a little kid also.

Gabriella then leaned down and kissed his shoulder a couple of times. Then she moved up a little, leaving a trail of kisses from Troy's shoulder to his mouth. When she got to his mouth, she kissed him long and hard. Only stopping for air. They continued on with this until a loud bang at the door sent them flying apart.

"I thought you said your dad didn't know where I live." Gabriella whispered.

"Ditto." Troy whispered back


	8. The Final Straw

**We'll be moving in less than a week so expect longer chapters and more frequent updates! **

**Chapter 8. The Final Straw**

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Troy and Gabriella jumped off the couch and ran over to the window. Sure enough, there was Jack Bolton pounding at the door.

"Hide." Gabriella whispered.

"What?"

"Hide! I'll try to stall him." Gabriella whispered a little louder.

"No! You have no clue what he can do! I'm not leaving you alone." Troy whispered sternly.

"Just trust me, ok? You can hide under the coffee table. It's hard to see under there." Gabriella whispered as she pushed him towards the small table infront of the couch.

"Be careful." Troy said before he ducked under it.

Gabriella walked over to the door, trying to hide her nervousness as best as she could.

When she got to the door she opened it with shaking hands.

"Hello, Mr. Bolton! What brings you here?" she asked as calmly as she could.

"You know darn well what I'm doing here. Where's Troy?" Jack said sternly. He had dark circles under his eyes indicating that he hadn't slept all night.

"I have no clue! Did you check Chad's house?" Gabriella asked putting her best acting skills to work.

"Twice. I know he's here. And I'm not leaving without him." Jack said pushing Gabriella out of the way.

"Wait! How did you find out where I live?" Gabriella asked as Jack walked into her house, knocking things down as he went.

"School records." Jack mumbled as he walked through the house opening doors and looking behind furniture.

"Mr. Bolton, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Gabriella said nervously as Jack became even more angry.

"For the last time, WHERE IS HE?" Jack yelled stomping over to Gabriella and slapping her across the face.

No more than two seconds after he did this, he felt something running into him with the force of a freight train. What ever it was that hit him had knocked him flat on his face.

"That's it! You can mess with me, just not with her!" Troy yelled as he continued to sit on his dad's back.

"I'll do what ever I want!" Jack said flipping his son over so he was sitting on him. "Starting with you!"

Jack then pulled back and punched his son square on the face. Troy heard Gabriella scream when Jack did this. He knew he had to protect her so he tried to ignore the pain shooting through his jaw as he fought back.

Troy took a few swings and finally hit Jack hard enough to distract him. Then he flipped his dad so he was sitting on his back once more. He grabbed both of Jack's wrists and twisted them behind his back, so that he couldn't move without hurting his wrists.

"Quick, call the cops!" Troy shouted at Gabriella who ran to the phone and dialed 911.

"Hello? My boyfriend's dad is attacking us. I live at 3948 Whittman Ln. in Albuquerque. Ok." Gabriella said into the phone. "Their on their way."

"Let me go now, Troy!" Jack shouted.

"Yeah right!" Troy said smiling.

Then, with one forceful push, Jack jumped up, throwing Troy across the room. He landed on the coffee table that immediately cracked on contact. Troy could now feel his sides stinging. When he looked down, he saw his shirt spotted with blood. He looked over at Jack who was making his way over to Gabriella. Then with one last burst of strength, Troy jumped over and grabbed his dad's leg. This caused him to trip and bang his head on the floor, knocking him out.

After he was sure his dad wouldn't hurt Gabriella anymore, Troy collapsed on the floor holding his sides. Just then the cops rushed in the door. Seeing the older man unconscious on the floor, they ran over to him and got him on hand cuffs. As they took him away, some paramedics helped Troy up and bandaged up his wounds. They discovered upon removing his shirt that collision with the table had broken a couple of ribs and left him with a few good sized gashes. The paramedics were able to take care of this quick and were soon gone, along with Mr. Bolton. Hewas immediately thrown in jail for child abuse.

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"Troy, I just spoke with your mom. She said that all the flights to here are booked." Jackie said walking into the living room. "She'll be here in a few days. In the mean time, your going to be staying here. You can sleep in the guest bedroom."

Troy and Gabriella were sitting on her bed watching tv. She had her head on his shoulder while he had his arm around her.

"Thank you, Mrs. Montez." Troy said smiling.

"You didn't have to do that, Troy." Gabriella said after awhile.

"Do what?" Troy asked confused.

"Blow your cover and get your dad even more ticked off."

"I had to. I couldn't just sit there and watch you get beaten too! Your to pretty for that." Troy said smiling as he brushed a loose strand of hair from her face.

"Well, thank you." Gabriella said before pulling him into a kiss. When they pulled apart Gabriella leaned up and whispered in his ear, "No boy has ever taken a punch for me before."

"Good thing to hear I didn't break a rib for nothing." Troy laughed, never breaking eye contact.

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That night it was hard for Gabriella to sleep. She kept thinking about what had happened earlier that day.

_Take this heart of darkness._

_I give it up._

_And all the emptiness,_

_you fill it up._

The memories off the fight just wouldn't leave her head. She finally convinced herself that everything was over and it wouldn't happen again.

_The times I feel like nothing,_

_you bring enough._

_And so I can live for something,_

_you lift me up._

She fell asleep around midnight. Only to be awoken an hour later by Troy down the hall.

"Stop! Leave her alone! Stop! Stop!" was what she heard down the hall. She immediately jumped out of bed and ran down the hall. When she got to Troy's room, she saw him tossing and turning in his sleep.

"Troy! Troy, wake up! It's only a dream!" Gabriella said softly as she shook him.

When he woke up he took one look at her and threw his arms around her and started to cry.

_And all these bad dreams,_

_I wake up to the light._

_And when I can't see,_

_I wake up to your eyes._

_Wake me up_.

"Troy, it's ok. It's ok. It was only a dream. Nothing bad is going to happen." Gabriella whispered softly into his ear as she rocked him back and forth slowly.

"Gabriella, it was horrible! He slapped you, but when I tried to get up, I couldn't move! So I just had to sit there and watch him beat you up! And I couldn't do anything!" Troy managed to get out before bursting into tears again.

It's ok, Troy. Like I said, it was only a dream. Shhhh. We're gonna be fine. He can't hurt us anymore." Gabriella continued to say as she cradled his head and stroked his hair.

_There's a light up ahead._

_There's a light up ahead._

_There's a light up ahead._

_There's a light up ahead._

She got up and sat beside him on the bed as he continued to cry into her shoulder. After a while, Troy stopped crying. But he still continued to cling tight to her.

_It get's so complicated,_

_if you live enough._

_Turn into what you hated._

_Your breaking up._

"What if that did happen." Troy whispered looking up. "What if I didn't or couldn't get up to help you?"

"Troy, all I know is that it didn't. And it won't. We're safe now. He's in jail and can't hurt us." Gabriella whispered stroking his cheek with her thumb as she stared into his blue, sorrow filled eyes.

_The times I feel like nothing,_

_you bring enough._

_And so I can live for something,_

_you lift me up._

"Thanks." Troy said reaching up and taking her hand."Thanks for being there for me."

"No problem." Gabriella said smiling.

Troy placed his hand under her chin and pulled her lips to his. As they kissed, Troy forgot all about what had happened to them the previous day and focused only on what was happening now. He was with his girlfriend who loved him and cared for him.

_And all these bad dreams,_

_I wake up to the light._

_And when I can't see,_

_I wake up to your eyes._

_Wake me up._

When they broke apart, Troy smiled as he lay back down.

"You want me to stay until you get back to sleep?" Gabriella offered.

Troy just nodded as he closed his eyes and yawned.

As he drifted off to sleep, Gabriella never took her eyes off his sleeping face. She thought about how much his life would be affected now that his dad was in jail. His mom would have to raise him for a while Other kids would probably pick on him about it. But no matter what, she would be there. Right by his side through it all.

Soon she felt drowsiness kicking in. But when she got to the door, Troy started tossing and turning again. So, she eventually just pulled back the covers and crawled into bed with him. Soon he had his arms around her and she was there to chase away the bad dreams for him.

_There's a light up ahead._

_There's a light up ahead._

_There's a light up ahead._

_There's a light up ahead._

_There's a light up ahead._

_There's a light up ahead._

_Wake me up._

**Wow! That was the longest chapter I've ever written! There'll be one more chapter after this. Afterwards I'll be focusing on my other fic. The song is "Light Up Ahead" by Further Seems Forever.**


	9. Brand New Day

**Thanks for all your great reviews! Hope you had as much fun reading this as I did writing it!**

**Chapter 9. Brand New Day**

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Troy woke up the next morning to find Gabriella running her fingers through his hair.

"Good morning, sleepyhead. Sleep well?" Gabriella asked smiling.

"Thanks to you. After you came in here, I didn't have one more bad dream." Troy said before kissing her softly.

"Glad to hear." Gabriella said before getting up.

Again, it took a little longer than usual to get down stairs. But when they finally got down stairs, they didn't have to worry about a repeat of yesterday. When they entered the kitchen again they found a note.

_Gabriella and Troy,_

_Had to go to work early. Hope you feel better today. There's plenty of food to eat. Try and take it easy. Gabriella, don't forget that the paramedics said to change Troy's bandages every morning and night._

_-Jackie_

"Nooooooo!" Troy screamed sarcastically after reading the last part.

"Come on. I'll try to make it as painless as possible." Gabriella said getting out the gauze and pain killer.

Troy sat down on the couch and took of his shirt. After Gabriella had gotten everything, she came over and started to undo the old bandages. They were better than the day before, but still looked pretty bad.

"We've got to let them air out before putting new ones on." Gabriella said removing the last of the bandages.

"Great. Now I get to look at my injuries for a whole half hour!" Troy said sarcastically.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I've never really noticed until now what ripped abs you have." Gabriella said leaning up against his shoulder and running her fingers over his chest.

"Did I mention how much I like having my shirt off?" Troy said grinning.

Just then the door bell rang.

"Deja Vu!" Troy said as they got up and walked to the door. Luckily it was only Chad, Taylor, Zeke, Jason, Kelsi, Sharpay, and Ryan.

"Hey, guys! We heard what happened yesterday so we thought we'd come over to cheer you two up!" Chad said as they all walked in.

"Dang, Troy! You got beat up good!" Ryan said once he saw Troy's wounds.

"Yeah! Are you sure your ok?" Taylor asked.

"I'm fine. Infact, Gabriella was just about to put the bandages back on. Weren't you?" Troy said playfully while staring at Gabriella.

"Fine." she said before getting the gauze and wrapping it around his cuts.

"Here. I brought these for you." Zeke said pulling out a plate with cup cakes on it and plastic wrap over the top.

"I helped!" Sharpay added proudly.

"Thanks, guys. Thanks a lot." Troy said smiling a mile wide.

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After hearing, and completely understanding, what happened to Troy the previous night Mrs. Montez said that Gabriella could sleep with Troy. Just as long as they didn't do anything 'unwise'.

"Feeling alright tonight?" Gabriella asked as they slipped into bed.

"Never better." Troy said smiling.

When they had gotten settled, Gabriella leaned over and placed her head on his chest. Troy leaned down and kissed the top of her head before slowly drifting into the deepest sleep he had been in that week. When Mrs. Montez walked in to check on them a few hours latter, she saw Gabriella's arms wrapped tight around Troy and a huge smile plastered on his face.

**THE END**


	10. Sequel

**I guess since everyone wants it, I'll do a sequel. But we'll be moving in a few days so I probably won't get to post it for about a week. As soon as I have access to the internet I'll be sure to put it up for ya!**

**-THE WOLF**


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